System for training lacrosse mechanics using sensors

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for training lacrosse technique mechanics includes a lacrosse head which includes a base portion and a housing removably coupled to the base portion. The housing includes a sensor for sensing the motion of the lacrosse head and generating motion data therefrom. The housing also includes a transceiver for transmitting the motion data to an end user device via a network.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/036,841, filed Jul. 16, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/352,396, filed Nov. 15, 2016, now abandoned, which claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/261,757, filed Dec. 1, 2015, the disclosures of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a system and method for training sports mechanics, and more specifically to a system and method for training lacrosse mechanics using sensors in a lacrosse head.

BACKGROUND

In learning to play the game of lacrosse, a player must learn to throw and catch, scoop a ground ball, dodge, and shoot the lacrosse ball accurately and with speed. Much of this depends on developing proper techniques. Players who have these skills are highly sought after and are of value to a lacrosse team. Players practice for hours to develop these skills, often taking part in group and private lessons to learn how to throw and catch, scoop, dodge, and shoot accurately and with increased speed during competitive games. Players may also practice these skills on their own by throwing the lacrosse ball against a wall or pitch-back rebounder, as well as practice other stick handling techniques using various drills. Coaches will provide players with drills to practice on their own. Players often report their number of repetitions performed in a particular drill back to a coach, or verbally share their accomplishments with their teammates and friends. However, coaches must rely on the player to report accurately the number of repetitions and drills performed. Also, such method does not allow accurate comparison of number of repetitions performed among teammates and friends, nor does it permit progress to be tracked. Also, a player practicing such skills on his/her own by throwing a ball against a wall can be boring, and a player will quickly lose interest.

There are other skills in lacrosse that also need to be developed through hours of repetition, depending on the specific position of a player. Face-off players or specialists must work on technique and timing to ensure they successfully provide his/her team with possession of the ball. Defensive players must practice and refine stick checking technique to maximize ability to dislodge the ball from an opposing player's crosse, and goaltenders typically receive multiple shots to varying locations from a coach or player for warming up and to develop their ability to stop the ball from entering the goal.

Additionally, coaches spend a significant amount of time in such practices working with players to develop the proper mechanics of an effective lacrosse pass or shot. Traditionally, skill development for throwing/catching, shooting, facing off, defensive technique and stick checking, and goaltending typically involves a combination of verbal instruction, coaching demonstration, live simulation, and repetition. For example, a coach may tell a player to keep his/her hands high and away from his/her body while shooting, to point the butt end of the crosse at the intended target, to push the top hand and pull on the bottom hand on the crosse to pass or shoot, or to follow through on the shot. However, this method is hardly scientific and is highly subjective.

In order to provide more objective data, in some instances, coaches (or their assistants) will use a radar gun to measure the speed of a player's shot, and/or will record the player's mechanics with a video camera for slow-motion replay. In this manner, the coach and the player have some objective feedback to rely on in making corrections to the player's shooting mechanics. However, this feedback is limited. Currently, if a player is being coached on how to shoot properly, his/her coach will visually observe the player while shooting, which could be captured with a video camera, and give feedback on how to improve. However, such methods do not allow accurate comparison of one shot (or pass or other sport motion) to another, much less permit progress to be tracked.

In the context of other sports, sensors are used on the bodies of the athletes—the wrist or glove, for example—to track playing mechanics—such as the trajectory of a golf swing, how fast a baseball player can swing a bat, or how hard a tennis player can hit a tennis ball. For example, such systems are described at www.zepp.com/golf/, www.zepp.com/baseball/, www.zepp.com/tennis, www.quattriuum.com, www.shottracker.com, www.atlaswearables.com, and www.blastmotion.com. The metrics recorded by these sensors are used to coach playing mechanics. However, placement of such sensors on a glove, on other area of the player's body, gives less than accurate measurements for some metrics, for example, how fast the head of a lacrosse stick is moving at the time a shot is attempted, or the angle of the lacrosse stick.

It is therefore desirable to provide a system for training lacrosse throwing, catching, shot, dodging and other lacrosse motion mechanics that provides more data metrics and feedback with increased accuracy, as well as a way to accurately share that data with coaches and other players.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Provided herein are embodiments of a lacrosse head which includes a base portion and a housing removably coupled to the base portion. Generally, the housing includes a sensor for sensing the motion of the lacrosse head and generating motion data therefrom. The housing also includes a transceiver for transmitting the motion data to an end user device via a network.

The invention will also have specific applications for training lacrosse players in throwing and catching mechanics, shooting technique, face off technique, defensive stick checking technique and goaltending technique.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrated in the accompanying drawing(s) is at least one of the best mode embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a system for training lacrosse technique mechanics according to at least one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an exemplary lacrosse head according to at least one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary lacrosse head according to at least one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top view of an exemplary lacrosse head according to at least one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of an exemplary lacrosse head according to at least one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of another exemplary lacrosse head according to at least one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another exemplary lacrosse head according to at least one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a top view of another exemplary lacrosse head according to at least one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of another exemplary lacrosse head according to at least one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of an exemplary system for training lacrosse technique mechanics according to at least one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of an exemplary sensor according to at least one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of an exemplary end user device according to at least one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 13 and 14 are schematic views of an exemplary server supported website according to at least one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 15 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating an operation of the system for training lacrosse technique mechanics according to at least one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The above-described drawing figures illustrate the described invention and method of use in at least one of its preferred, best mode embodiment, which is further defined in detail in the following description. Those having ordinary skill in the art may be able to make alterations and modifications to what is described herein without departing from its spirit and scope. While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiment illustrated. Therefore, it should be understood that what is illustrated is set forth only for the purposes of example and should not be taken as a limitation on the scope of the present apparatus and its method of use. In particular, while the enablements described herein are discussed with particular emphasis on lacrosse, those having ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the invention is similarly applicable to other sports and sports equipment.

As used in this application, the terms “exemplary” and “illustrative” mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described as exemplary or illustrative is not meant to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. Further, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding background of the invention, brief summary, or the following detailed description.

In the following description and in the figures, like elements are identified with like reference numerals. The use of “e.g.,” “etc.,” and “or” indicates non-exclusive alternatives without limitation, unless otherwise noted. The use of “including” or “includes” means “including, but not limited to,” or “includes, but not limited to,” unless otherwise noted.

As used herein, the term “and/or” placed between a first entity and a second entity means one of (1) the first entity, (2) the second entity, and (3) the first entity and the second entity. Multiple entities listed with “and/or” should be construed in the same manner, i.e., “one or more” of the entities so conjoined. Other entities may optionally be present other than the entities specifically identified by the “and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those entities specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including entities other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including entities other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other entities). These entities may refer to elements, actions, structures, steps, operations, values, and the like.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views and embodiments, FIGS. 1 to 15 illustrates embodiments of a system and method for training lacrosse technique mechanics according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 1000 for training lacrosse technique mechanics according to embodiments of the present invention. The system 1000 may generally include a sensor 1200 positioned in a lacrosse head (FIGS. 2 to 9) for sensing the motion of the associated lacrosse head. The sensor may communicatively couple to an end user device 1400 and/or a server supported website 1800 which may transmit motion data (and/or motion data analytics) derived from the motion of the lacrosse head, via a network 1600, for example, a wireless network or the Internet. To train lacrosse technique mechanics (e.g., shooting, passing, checking, etc.) a player's attempts at performing one or more techniques may be measured and analyzed. These measurements may take the form of the motion data captured by the sensor 1200, which may be located in the lacrosse head. The motion data may be stored and/or analyzed for review, for example, by the player, a coach, or a third party. In this manner, the progress of a player in mastering one or more techniques may be monitored, logged and tracked. Moreover, review of the motion data and/or analysis may give objective data points that the player may use to improve his/her technique mechanics.

In some embodiments, the sensor 1200 may be located in a base portion of a lacrosse head. An exemplary lacrosse head 1220 is illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 5, according to some embodiments. The lacrosse head 1220 may include a ball stop area or base portion 1221. The base portion 1221 may include a hollow core 1240 for sliding over the top end of a lacrosse shaft 1222. The base portion 1221 may define a cavity 1231 for receiving a fixedly removable housing 1230. The housing 1230 may house the sensor 1200 (not shown), and at least a printed circuit board (PCB) with electronics (not shown) as described herein. The housing 1230 may be removably affixed to the base portion 1221 according to known methods (e.g. screwed in) such that the housing 1230 is not easily dislodged during the action of a lacrosse game or practice. In some embodiments, the housing 1230 may include physical and/or electronics interfaces, for example, USB port 1232 and corresponding USB port plug 1234, light emitting diode (LED) interfaces (not shown), and so on.

The base portion 1221 may also include a battery housing 1210 for housing battery 1212. In at least one embodiment, the battery housing 1210 may be sized to fitly slide into the hollow core 1223 at the top end of the crosse shaft 1222 and held therein according to known methods (e.g., screwed in, friction or adhesive).

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary perspective view of the lacrosse head 1220 with the housing 1230 and crosse shaft 1222 fully affixed to the lacrosse head, according to some embodiments. In this illustrated instance, the battery housing 1210 is positioned inside the base portion 1221 and is not shown.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary top view of the lacrosse head 1220 with the housing 1230 and the crosse shaft 1222 fully affixed to the lacrosse head, according to some embodiments. In this illustrated instance, the housing 1230 is affixed to the lacrosse head base 1221 using two screws 1233. As described herein, other methods of affixing the housing 1230 to the lacrosse head base 1221 may also be used.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary sectional side view of the lacrosse head 1220 with the housing 1230, the battery housing 1210, and the crosse shaft 1222 fully affixed to the lacrosse head, according to some embodiments. The battery housing 1210 may include battery 1212. In this exemplary embodiment, the battery 1212 is inserted perpendicular to the lacrosse head 1220's plane. Turning back briefly to FIG. 2, the battery 1212 is shown inserted in the battery housing 1210 and is perpendicular to the lacrosse head 1220's plane.

An exemplary lacrosse head 1250 is illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 9, according to some embodiments. The lacrosse head 1250 may include a ball stop area or base portion 1251. The base portion 1251 may include a hollow core 1265 for sliding over the top end of a lacrosse shaft 1280. The base portion 1251 may define a cavity 1253 for receiving a fixedly removable housing 1260. The housing 1260 may house the sensor 1200 (not shown), and at least a printed circuit board (PCB) with electronics (not shown) as described herein. The housing 1260 is removably affixed to the base portion 1251 according to known methods (e.g. screwed in) such that the housing 1260 is not easily dislodged during the action of a lacrosse game or practice. In some embodiments, the housing 1260 may include physical and/or electronics interfaces, for example, USB port and corresponding USB port plug (not shown), LED interfaces (not shown), and so on.

The base portion 1251 may also include a battery housing 1270 for housing battery 1272. In at least one embodiment, the battery housing 1270 may be sized to fitly slide into the hollow core 1281 at the top end of the crosse shaft 1280 and held therein according to known methods (e.g., screwed in, friction or adhesive).

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary perspective view of the lacrosse head 1250 with the housing 1260 and crosse shaft 1280 fully affixed to the lacrosse head, according to some embodiments. In this illustrated instance, the battery housing 1270 is positioned inside the base portion 1251 and is not shown.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary top view of the lacrosse head 1250 with the housing 1260 and crosse shaft 1280 fully affixed to the lacrosse head, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary sectional side view of the lacrosse head 1250 with the housing 1260, the battery housing 1270, and the crosse shaft 1280 fully affixed to the lacrosse head, according to some embodiments. The battery housing 1270 may include battery 1272. In this exemplary embodiment, the battery 1272 is inserted perpendicular to the lacrosse head 1250's plane.

In some embodiments, the housing 1230 (of lacrosse head 1220) and 1260 (of lacrosse head 1250) preferably include: a sensor unit 1200 for sensing the motion of the lacrosse head 1220/1250 and generating motion data therefrom, a memory for storing the motion data, a transceiver for transmitting the motion data to the end user device 1400 and/or server supported website 1800 via the network 1600, and one or more interfaces, each communicatively coupled to a controller. In some embodiments, the electrical and/or electronics components of the housing 1230 and 1260 may be powered by one or more internal batteries that may be rechargeable via an interface, or alternatively may be replaceable disposables.

As described herein, the sensor unit 1200 may detect the motion of the lacrosse head as it is being used by the player during gameplay or practice and generate motion data therefrom. The motion data may then be communicated to the memory and retrievably stored therein. The transceiver may retrieve the motion data from the memory (or in some embodiments directly from the sensor unit 1200) and transmit the motion data to the end user device 1400. In some embodiments, the motion data may be communicated to a paired device, an application, a server, or a website. A controller may execute software instructions stored in the memory for causing the sensor unit 1200, the memory, and the transceiver to function as described herein. In some embodiments, the sensor unit 1200, the memory, the transceiver and the controller may be communicatively coupled via a printed circuit board (“PCB”) or the like. In some embodiments, the transceiver may include at least one wireless interface known in the art, for example, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (“BLE”), and Wi-Fi.

In some embodiments, the housing 1230 and 1260 may further include one or more interfaces by which the user may affect or otherwise control the system parameters and/or functionalities described herein, an LED for indicating an operating status of the system, and a USB or micro-USB port for permitting access to the data stored in the memory. Each may be communicatively coupled to the controller via the PCB, the controller controlling each in accordance with the functionality described herein. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the PCB may comprise a single PCB, or multiple PCB's in tandem.

Exemplary operations of the system 1000 will now be described with reference to the figures. As illustrated schematically for example in FIG. 10 and in an exemplary flowchart 2000 in FIG. 15, the sensor 1200 may detect the motion of the lacrosse head 1220/1250 as it is being used by the player during gameplay or practice (Step 2010), generate motion data (Step 2020), process or analyze the motion data (Step 2030), store the processed or analyzed motion data (Step 2040) in memory and/or data storage, and transmit the processed or analyzed motion data (Step 2060) to the end user device 1400, and/or, in some embodiments, to the server supported website 1800, via the network 1600. As described herein, in some exemplary operations, the motion data may be transmitted without having been processed or analyzed. In some exemplary operations, the sensor 1200 may retrieve the motion data from data storage (Step 2050) before transmitting the motion data. The step of retrieving the motion data may be performed as part of an operation as shown in the flowchart 2000 or may be performed independently anytime a user (e.g., the player) wishes to retrieve the stored motion data. The network may include, for example, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (“BLE”), Wi-Fi, and the Internet. Additionally, the sensor 1200 may store the motion data in memory. The motion data may be transmitted at a later time or may be retrievable via a wired connection between the sensor 1200 and the end user device 1400, via for example, the USB port 1346, a FireWire port (not shown), and/or the like.

The motion data may include data indicating at least: the motion of the shot, the speed of the shot, the motion and/or speed of the various parts of the crosse, the number and/or types of shots and/or passes attempted (e.g. overhand, sidearm, etc.), the number of shots and/or passes and the mechanics thereof, the frequency at which the player changes the crosse from one hand to the other, how many times a player “touches” the ball during a game or practice, the number of times a player cradles the ball after it is caught and before the next pass or shot is made, how quickly the ball is released from a crosse after it is caught, how many left handed or right handed catches, passes and shots were made, and the player's body core rotation, power and other metrics useful for analyzing (or processing) player shot mechanics. In particular, the motion data may be sufficient to digitally reproduce each attempted shot, pass, catch, dodge, scoop a ground ball or other motion attempted by the player during the course of a practice or game, in three dimensions for analysis by the player, coach, or a computer application. In particular, the motion data may include the number of repetitions of a given technique performed such that players can compare repetitions (and other training results) and otherwise compete with each other, via leaderboards and other sharing and comparison methods.

As shown for example in FIG. 10, the sensor 1200 may include an accelerometer 1202, gyroscope 1204, and/or GPS sensor (not shown). Exemplary sensors are commercially available and described at www.zepp.com/golf/, www.zepp.com/baseball/, www.zepp.com/tennis, www.quattriuum.com, www.shottracker.com, www.atlaswearables.com and www.blastmotion.com.

In some embodiments, the sensor 1200 may include a unit that generate the motion data from the motion of the lacrosse head and transmit the motion data to a motion data processing module 1206 for processing the motion data in accordance with the embodiments described herein. The processed (or partially processed) motion data may then be retrieved by the transceiver, which is communicatively coupled to the motion data processing module 1206, to be transmitted to the end user device 1400 and/or the server supported website 1800 via the network 1600. In some embodiments, the motion data may be transmitted without having been processed by the motion data processing module 1206. In such embodiments, the system 1000 may omit the motion data processing module 1206 or may utilize motion data processing at alternative stages of the process described herein. It should be understood that references to ‘motion data’ or ‘processed motion data’ refer to each or all of unprocessed, partially processed, and fully processed motion data, as appropriate.

As shown for example in FIG. 11, motion data processing module 1206 of the sensor 1200 may further include a data filtering module 1206-a, a data normalization module 1206-b, a data compression module 1206-c, and a data fusion module 1206-d. The data filtering module 1206-a may filter the incoming motion data in accordance with the system functionalities described herein. In other words, the motion data may be filtered in accordance with the intended analytics use of the motion data. The data filtering module may employ one or more digital filters, for example, a null filter, a low pass filter, a high pass filter, etc. The data normalization module 1206-b may normalize the filtered motion data in accordance with the intended analytics use of the motion data. The data compression module 1206-c may compress the normalized motion data in accordance with the intended analytics use of the motion data. The data fusion module 1206-d may combine the filtered motion data, the normalized motion data and the compressed motion data to generate a processed motion data for transmission by the transceiver via the network 1600. It should be noted that one or more of these modules may be present in varying capacities. In some embodiments, the sensor 1200 may include a magnetometer.

Returning to FIG. 10, the end user device 1400 may receive the motion data and process the motion data to be displayed to the end user, and/or transmitted to the server supported website 1800. The end user device 1400 may include a transceiver 1408 for receiving and transmitting the motion data, motion data processing module 1402 for processing the motion data, and motion recognition engine 1404 for further processing the motion data according to motion recognition functionalities described herein, and display module 1406 for displaying the processed motion data to the user. In some embodiments, the aforementioned processing by the motion data processing module 1402 may be an additional processing of the motion data, or an original processing of the motion data in accordance with the embodiments described herein. Accordingly, the structure of the motion data processing module 1402 of the end user device 1400 may be substantially analogous to that of the sensor 1200.

Turning now to FIG. 12, the motion recognition engine 1404 resided in the user device 1400 may further include a data construction module 1404-a, a model evaluation module 1404-b, a motion model library 1404-c, and a model comparison and feedback module 1404-d. The data construction module 1404-a may process the incoming motion data into resulting data structures amenable for motion recognition processing. The model evaluation module 1404-b may compare the recorded motion data to a set of recorded reference motions using a set of objective functions. These objective functions may be constructed to enable rapid comparison of the motion to the library of possible motions (e.g., via model comparison and feedback module 1404-d). The objective functions may involve calculation of the least squared error metric as one possible algorithm, or other algorithms. The motion model library 1404-c may store the possible recognized reference motions that have been generated in the system either from calibrated motions or from generic template. It is expected that the model motions contained herein are not static but rather can be updated over time by other processes. The model comparison and feedback module 1404-d may match the recorded motion to possible recognized motions. It may further facilitate using the comparison output of the model evaluation module 1404-b to find the closest match in the library of recognized motions stored in the motion model library 1404-c. The model evaluation module 1404-b module may also update the stored motion model that matches the motion closest to make the model adaptive to small changes in the recorded motion. This module may also provide parameters to the data construction module 1404-athat can optimize further matching operations, for example, to provide an updated gain value to scale the incoming motion data for better matching.

As described herein, in some embodiments, the motion data may be analyzed in the lacrosse head. In these embodiments, a motion recognition engine 1404 may reside in the lacrosse head.

Accordingly, the end user device 1400 may receive the motion data for display to the end user via display 1402. The end user device may include a smart mobile device, such as an iPhone®, iPad® or Android™ device communicatively coupled to the network 1600 and the display 1402 may include a touch screen or other conventional display. The end user device may be that of a coach, the player, or a third person interested in an analysis of the player's lacrosse motion mechanics and statistics. The end user device 1400 preferably includes a wireless transceiver 1408 for receiving the motion data. In some embodiments, the end user device 1400 may receive the motion data directly from the sensor 1200. In at least one embodiment, as further discussed herein, the motion data of a player may be received by the end user device 1400 from the server supported web site 1800 having a memory on which the motion data of the player is retrievably stored.

As shown for example in FIG. 10, the server 1820 supporting the website 1800 may receive the motion data (and/or analyzed motion data) and process it to be transmitted to the end user device 1400. The server 1820 may include a network interface 1828, a processor, a memory, and an input/output interface, all known in the art, for implementing the functionalities of the server supported website 1800 described herein.

In some embodiments, the server supported website 1800 may include an analogous motion data processing module for additional processing of the motion data, or an original processing of the motion data in accordance with the embodiments described herein. In some embodiments, the server supported website may include an analogous motion recognition engine for additional processing of the motion data, or an original processing of the motion data in accordance with the embodiments described herein.

In some embodiments, the server supported website may include a user database 1806-1 for storing user information, device information, user activity information, user-derived analytic information; an analytics module 1808 for receiving user-derived information and aggregating or otherwise organizing such information, such as for example, into lists (e.g. leaderboards, inactivity lists, etc.); an algorithm database 1806-2 for storing algorithms for analyzing the user motion data according to the features and operations discussed herein; an algorithm modeling module 1812 for adding, subtracting, or otherwise modifying the modeling algorithms used to match the user movement with recognized motions; and a user notification module 1810 for generating user notifications to be transmitted over the network 1600 to the end user device 1400, via the network interface 1828.

Turning now to FIG. 13, in some embodiments, the user database 1806 may further include a user information database 1806-a, a user activity database 1806-b, a user specific analytics database 1806-c, and a general database 1806-d. The elements of FIG. 13 further describe how the user data may be stored in the overall data store according to at least one embodiment. User information database 1806-a may store the data associated with the user, e.g. username, age, email, handedness, stick length, etc. User activity database 1806-b may store the activity data associated with the user, e.g. motion data. There may be zero, one or more data items for each user per day depending on the activity that is recorded by the system for that user. The data stored in this section may also be of a complex datatype that combines multiple user events into one data item. User specific analytics database 1806-c may store data generated by analyzing user event data. Examples of such data include cumulative activity and comparative data. The overall database structure 1806-d can be represented as a single database or as a set of related but separate databases. For complex situations, a NoSQL database can be used to hold all of the data described here but the schema is preferably more complex.

The analytics module 1808 may further include a server scripts module 1808-a for processing user-derived analytics to, for example, aggregate the data from a group or groups of users, validate the data, and to do other server tasks involving the data including preparing the data for further analytics; a leaderboard module 1808-b for generating one or more leaderboards to enable easy comparison between users. Given the multitude of potential leaderboards, the analytics module 1808 may track and generate multiple leaderboards involving some or all of the users; and a leaderboard analytic script module 1808 c for generating actionable notifications if changes to the leaderboards occur for individual users. For example, if the user moves up or down on a leaderboard relative to other users, a notification of the movement may be generated and transmitted to the user according to the operations and functions described herein.

Turning now to FIG. 14, in some embodiments, the algorithm modeling module 1812 may further include a user information module 1812-afor identifying the user associated with the transmitted and/or stored data. Identification of the user may be generic based on age, height, handedness, for example, or it may be specific to the username and device information. The algorithm modeling module 1812 may further include an algorithm retrieval module 1812-b for retrieving the appropriate models from the motion model library 1404-c, given the user identity and associated specificity. For example, in the case of generic user information, the model retrieval may be generic as well, while, if the user information is more specific, user labeled models may be specifically retrieved. The algorithm modeling module 1812 may still further include a user specific algorithm module 1812-c for on-the-fly customization of the retrieved algorithms to make the retrieved algorithm work better for the user. For example, a generic model may be adjusted for the specific user's height and/or stick length.

Generally, in operation, the motion data may be transmitted to the end user device 1400 where it is displayed as analyzed motion data, such as usable metrics (e.g. the number of times a certain technique is executed, etc.). The motion data may be transmitted directly to the end user device 1400 and processed by the end user device 1400 to generate the analyzed motion data. Additionally, the motion data (or analyzed motion data) may be transmitted from the end user device 1400 to the server supported website 1800 to be further processed by the server to generate further analyzed motion data that is transmitted back to the end user device 1400. Alternatively, the motion data may be transmitted directly to the server supported website 1800 to be processed by the server to generate the analyzed motion data that is then transmitted to the end user device 1400 for display. The analyzed motion data may be further processed by the end user device 1400 prior to display. In this manner, the motion data may be processed or partially processed to generate the displayed analyzed motion at a plurality of the modules described herein.

Accordingly, it should be noted that while processing of the motion data is described herein as occurring at each of the lacrosse head, end user device, and server platforms, the motion data may be processed entirely at any of these levels or any combination thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. Furthermore, where functionalities and operations utilizing motion data are described herein, it should be understood that the same functionalities and operations may be applied—in some embodiments—partially or wholly to analyzed motion data.

In some embodiments, the player may be able to share motion data or analysis of, for example, number of repetitions of throws/catches during a wall ball session, with coaches and friends and teammates via a leaderboard displayed on the application, email, social media, and/or an internet website.

The server supported website 1800 may receive the motion data and provide an internet accessible portal through which to receive and/or view that data. In particular, the website may operate substantially similar to the computer application as executed on the end user device 1400. The server supported website 1800 may be accessible by the end-user device running the computer application. The motion data (and/or analysis) of one or more players may be downloaded/uploaded between the end user device 1400 and the server supported website 1800. In this manner, the motion data and/or analysis (e.g. player statistics, three-dimensional motion representation, etc.) may be shared between players, coaches, etc. for further training recommendations, competitions, team tryouts, etc. An example of a website through which athletes can share workouts and workout statistics with others is www.strava.com, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The motion data and/or the results of its analysis may be retrievably stored by the computer application and/or server supported website memory. In some embodiments, a detailed record of every throw/catch repetition or shot may be retrievably stored (either locally, or remotely via a remote server communicatively coupled to the network). In some embodiments, the computer application may display a time-based summary of the player's motion data so that the player can track improvement. The computer application may also be configured to display any other set or subset of motion data and/or analysis, e.g. repetitions, catches, passes, shots, etc. In some embodiments the server supported website may comprise a mobile-accessible website for access by smart phones and the like.

As described herein, the server 1800 may be accessed via a computer application (“app”) running on the end user device 1400. Exemplary functionalities of the app are described herein. It should be understood that the functionalities of the app may be executed by either the app or the server, either alone or in tandem, unless otherwise stated. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the app functions as an interface to the server, which performs the functionalities described herein.

The app may generate a user profile from user information inputted by the user, a coach, or the app itself. The user profile is then associated with a lacrosse head such that the motion data of the lacrosse head is associated with the user profile in accordance with the embodiments described herein. The user profile may include such information as: name, age, email address, profile picture, gender, skill level, stick length, team associations (both real and virtual), position played, dominant hand, geographic location, and user avatar selection. The user profile information may be utilized by one or more of the modules described herein to generate the analyzed motion data for display to the user, third parties (e.g. teammates, other players, spectators, fans, etc.) and/or coach.

In some embodiments, the user profile may include a user selected avatar. As the user progresses within the app and achieves certain milestones, he/she will “unlock” other avatars, from which they will be able to choose to represent them. Accordingly, the avatar may be a visual way of displaying to others their progress and level of activity within the app.

As the training techniques or games described herein are completed by the user, the user profile may be updated to include the metrics or analyzed motion data associated therewith. These metrics may measure progress and/or be used in a competitive sense to promote further training. Accordingly, in some embodiments, a plurality of users may associate themselves with a virtual ‘team’ for the purposes of competition according to the analytic ‘games’ described herein. The virtual team may be in addition to a physical team of the user. The user's association with real or virtual teammates may be information stored in the user profile.

In general, the analyzed motion data for the user will be accessible to the user and may be displayed on the end user device 1400 via the app. In this manner, the user may track performance, progress, etc.

In some embodiments, the analyzed motion data for a given game in which a plurality of users participate may be reflected in one or more leaderboards accessible to those users. Leaderboards may be displayed in activity metrics, such as number of reps, length of time played, achievement of specific skills, shot speed, accuracy, number of times a player touches the ball, etc. Leaderboards may be filtered by time period (daily, weekly, monthly, all time), age of player, number of left-handed reps and right-handed reps, geographic region, male or female, or any other data common to the user profiles. Custom leaderboards may be created by individual users, third-parties and/or coaches. In some embodiments, when a player moves up or down on the leaderboard, a notification may be sent to the player by push-notification, text and/or email. A notification may also be sent out according to a predetermined schedule, e.g. daily, weekly, etc.

In some embodiments, the user may earn virtual trophies or other prizes based on the user's analyzed motion data. For example, points and/or prizes may be earned as the user's analyzed motion data indicates the user has mastered one or more techniques, has prevailed in a competition or challenge, has been ranked at a certain level in one or more leaderboards, etc. Such points and/or other rewards preferably may be redeemed for goods via an online shopping portal supported by the app. In some embodiments, the user profile may include a virtual trophy room where viewers of the user profile may view the various trophies and accomplishments of the user with respect to the training system.

In some embodiments, the app may include an activity feed associated with the user for displaying information relevant to the user. For example, analyzed motion data of the user (and/or of the user's teammates) may be posted on the user's activity feed for viewing by the user, third parties, and/or coach. Activity displayed on the activity feed may include analyzed motion data for recent games, drills, etc., trophies or other accomplishments, the status of challenges, and leaderboard changes.

In some embodiments, the activity feed may include virtual social activity. For example, the user may post a ‘poke-check’ or ‘high-five’ or other social message on the activity board of another user. In at least one embodiment, in order for the user to post on an activity board of another user, the first user must be accepted as a ‘teammate’ of the second user. In this manner, the activity board reflects a type of training specific social networking application.

In some embodiments, challenges may be issued between users. Challenges are specific events within the app in which a user can compete against one or many other users/players. Challenges may be initiated by one or more of: players, the system, coaches, or third parties (e.g. equipment sponsors, etc.). For example, some challenges may include determining which player can execute the most number of reps of a technique within a set time period or with the highest accuracy percentage, who has the fastest shot, or who can perform stick tricks or signature moves most effectively. Challenge invitations may be sent by push notification, text or email. They can be either accepted or rejected by players. Winners of challenges can receive reward points, badges, and/or higher ranking on leaderboards. Challenges may be according to various formats, including one-to-one, group-to-group, tournament, etc.

In association with each of the functionalities described herein, an optional push notification may be implemented such that the requisite information, challenge and/or message may be supplied to the user via the end user device 1400.

A coach's web portal or app may also be provided to coaches. Preferably, the coach's portal will include functionality in addition to that of the player app, while retaining some or all of the player app functionalities described herein. Preferably, the coach's app may permit the coach's profile to be associated with the player profiles of those users on the coach's team. Coaches preferably have access to each of the profiles of their players, as well as the analyzed motion data of their players. In some embodiments, the coach's portal may be accessed via the server supported website 1800, via a user log-in sequence such as those known in the art. In this manner, coaches utilizing the coach's portal may be able to monitor their players' practice activity and/or training development.

In some embodiments, the coach's portal may enable communication to team members via push notification, text or email. Accordingly, the coach's portal may enable the creation and distribution of specific drills and/or challenges to team members. Preferably, the coach's portal may be operable to display reports based on analyzed motion data of team members for review by the coach. In at least one embodiment, such reports may be periodic. In at least one embodiment, such reports may be communicated via email, text message and/or push-notification. Preferably, the coach's portal may enable monitoring of the team members of a plurality of teams associated with the coach. In terms of user interface, each team may have its own tab, and when a coach selects the tab, the information for players on that team may be displayed.

Exemplary analytics will now be described with reference to exemplary training techniques, e.g., “games.”

As previously described, the analyzed motion data (e.g., motion data analytics) may include data indicating the number of throws and catches made by a player in a game or wall ball practice session, the motion/speed of the shot, the motion/speed of the various parts of the crosse during shooting, face offs, defensive stick checking or goaltending, the number and types of shots or passes attempted (e.g. overhand, sidearm, etc.), the number of shots received and/or saved by a goaltender, the player's body core rotation, power and other metrics.

The analyzed motion data may be received by the end user device 1400 and thereafter displayed to the end user. In at least one embodiment, the analyzed motion data may be displayed on an online leaderboard and shared between the end user devices of coaches and other players and/or third parties. The online leaderboard may be hosted by the server supported website 1800 and may be accessible via the end user device 1400 or any other such user interface. In this manner, players may compare repetitions (and other training results) and otherwise compete with each other on a local, regional, national or global scale.

In at least one embodiment, the end user device 1400 may be caused to display a virtual reproduction of one or more of the player's shot or pass attempts in three dimensions for viewing and/or analysis by the player, coach, or a computer application. The three-dimensional reproduction may be compared to other exemplary shots of, for example, professional players, coaches, computer simulations, and the player. The comparison may occur via the visual representation of one shot being digitally overlaid onto the visual representation of another shot. Alternatively, the shots may be compared via side-by-side juxtaposition. Such exemplary shots may be stored in a local memory of the end user device 1400, or in the server memory of the server supported website 1800 (accessible via the end user device). Similar analytics may be implemented for other techniques, including face-off maneuvers, defensive stick checking techniques, goaltending techniques, and so on.

In some embodiments, the comparison may include a comparison of selected analyzed motion data. For example, the end user device 1400 may be caused to display the speed of the player's attempted shot juxtaposed against an average shot speed for that player, or the average shot speed of a selected professional. As another example, the end user device 1400 may be caused to display a game summary report that includes how many shots the player took during the course of a game, the types of shots taken, the average speed of the shots, the average trajectory of the crosse, and the range of such metrics. In this way, the player and/or coach may have a number of data points from which to improve the player's shot mechanics and lacrosse skill maneuvers in general.

In some embodiments, the end user device 1400 may be caused to display suggestions on how to improve the player's shot and pass mechanics, as well as other skill maneuvers. For example, the end user device 1400 may be caused to display a comparison between the player's shot or pass to that of a professional and determine that the player may benefit from repositioning his/her hands on the crosse. This comparison may include a visual, numerical, or other data comparison or juxtaposition, or any combination thereof.

In this manner, the embodiments described herein may permit a player to analyze and improve his or her lacrosse motion mechanics, as well as record other data metrics during practice and game play, as well as socially connect, play and compete against other players virtually.

In some embodiments, the present system 1000 may turn athletic practice into creative, competitive and connected virtual games. The system 1000 may leverage the convergence of trends and technologies to make sports practices more compelling. These trends and technologies may include, for example: (1) the deep penetration of smartphone devices; (2) the widespread use of social applications; and (3) the explosive emergence in wearables. The system 1000 may make sports practice a measurable and competitive game by socially connecting an athlete's results to teammates and peers. The system 1000 may also enable an athlete to mimic the form and moves of elite and professional players, ultimately creating a library and marketplace of wearable-enabled virtual signature moves.

In some embodiments, the player's user device 1400 may include a sensor. The sensor may include at least an accelerometer and a gyroscope. In these embodiments, the system 1000 may use the sensor in the player device 1400 to track the motion of the player. The player device 1400 may include a smart phone, which, for example, may be attached to the arm of the player using, for example, a compression sleeve or other device. The player device 1400 may also include wearables such as a smart watch worn on at least one wrist of the player. The motion data may be cached on the player device 1400, and synchronized with data at the server, for example, server 1820 described herein.

In some embodiments, at least one sensor 1200 may be positioned in at least one wrist of a player. For example, the sensor 1200 may be positioned in a wrist band.

As described herein, whether the motion data are recorded using sensor in a phone, on a wrist, or in a lacrosse head, the algorithms described herein in the app and in the server may record the motion data, and synchronize them to a leaderboard.

The enablements described in detail above are considered novel over the prior art of record and are considered critical to the operation of at least one aspect of the invention and to the achievement of the above-described objectives. The embodiments described above include one or more sensors in a lacrosse head. However, the invention may also be applicable to sensors located in other parts of the lacrosse stick. The invention may also be applicable to other sports equipment. The words used in this specification to describe the instant embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification: structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus, if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word or words describing the element.

The definitions of the words or drawing elements described herein are meant to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements described and its various embodiments or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim.

Changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalents within the scope intended and its various embodiments. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. This disclosure is thus meant to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted, and also what incorporates the essential ideas.

Furthermore, the functionalities described herein may be implemented via hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof, unless expressly indicated otherwise. If implemented in software, the functionalities may be stored as one or more instructions on a computer readable medium, including any available media accessible by a computer that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions, data structures or the like. Thus, certain aspects may comprise a computer program product for performing the operations presented herein, such computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions being executable by one or more processors to perform the operations described herein. It will be appreciated that software or instructions may also be transmitted over a transmission medium as is known in the art. Further, modules and/or other appropriate means for performing the operations described herein may be utilized in implementing the functionalities described herein.

The scope of this description is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims and it is made clear, here, that the named inventors believe that the claimed subject matter is what is intended to be patented. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for training lacrosse technique mechanics, the apparatus comprising: a lacrosse head including a base portion; and a housing removably coupled to the base portion, the housing comprising: a sensor for sensing the motion of the lacrosse head and generating motion data therefrom, and a transceiver for transmitting the motion data via a network.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing further includes a memory for storing the motion data.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transceiver includes at least one wireless interface.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motion data is transmitted to an end user device.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motion data is transmitted to a server supported website.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing further includes a controller for processing the motion data.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motion data is processed before being transmitted.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motion data is not processed before being transmitted.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing further includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing further includes a light emitting diode (LED) interface.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lacrosse head further includes a battery housing.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the battery housing is sized to slide into a hollow core at the top end of a lacrosse shaft.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motion data includes at least one of: motion of a shot, speed of a shot, motion of various parts of a crosse associated with the lacrosse head, speed of the various parts of said crosse, number and types of shots and passes attempted, number of shots and passes and mechanics thereof, frequency at which a player associated said crosse changes said crosse from one hand to the other, number of times said player touches a ball during a game or practice, number of times said player cradles a ball, time a ball is released from said crosse after it is caught, number of left handed catches, number of right handed catches, number of passes made, number of shots made, and said player's body core rotation and power.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motion data is sufficient to digitally reproduce in three dimensions each motion attempted by a player associated with the lacrosse head.
 15. A method for training lacrosse technique mechanics, using a lacrosse head comprising a base portion and a housing removably coupled to the base portion, the housing comprising a sensor and a transceiver, the method comprising: detecting motion associated with the lacrosse head; generating motion data associated with said detected motion; processing said generated motion data; storing said processed motion data; and transmitting said processed motion data over a network.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein said processed motion data is transmitted over a wireless network.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein said processed motion data is transmitted to a user device.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein said processed motion data is transmitted to a server supported website.
 19. An apparatus for training lacrosse technique mechanics, the apparatus comprising: a lacrosse head including a battery housing and a base portion; and a housing removably coupled to the base portion, the housing comprising: a sensor for sensing the motion of the lacrosse head and generating motion data therefrom, a controller for processing said generated motion data, a memory for storing said processed motion data, and a transceiver for transmitting said processed motion data via a wireless network to a user device, wherein said generated motion data is sufficient to digitally reproduce in three dimensions each motion attempted by a player associated with the lacrosse head for display by an application at the user device.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the application at the user device includes at least a motion recognition engine, a data construction module, a model evaluation module, a motion model library, and a model comparison and feedback module. 